Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-04
prBLIC TELEGRAPHS.
extraordinary Expansion of the
Ine eastern Unlen-The Remnant
OF Opposition.
living aggregation Of Gapital-A
Ofsr" wholly Impartial Review
of the situation.
Bradstreet' 6.

gF'p ..as and control of the Baltimore and
sasp' p,urosd Company by the Western
Vlio Company closes another OF the
uplO- ,.s which have been made from
s'''-I * time to maintain q successful and
IIS ,snert opposition to the latter or
ps--1.,tion. II no country in the civilized
S-,5bss telegraphy made greater strides
W.T., VT of scientific and mechanical per-
j . Ey tbsn in the United States. and in
Is..,' does its use enter more intimately
l.n' 4be fabric of the business and social
i!., If A. the people. At the same time the
l4 !S. ~ of teIegrsphy in the United
o o...D for vears past has been thst Of
'C"Gigontic corporation and of the steps
~. Lssi Sh II has absorbed its competitors.
NT sa most striking feature in connecticn
~ tbe formation OF the Western Union
n..- is the immense addition TO its
U..-,jt.Iil,tion which has followed each
o--Psoossive consolidation, resulting be-
SD-o the last event in its having a share
i l,.i,.I Of $50, COO, 900, a bonded debt Of
. ..or 81 OOO. 900 and outstanding guaran-
...s mon the stock and bonds Of other
..bIs and telegraph companies amount
mo 70 ssy S25, 900, 600, or in Gil capital
;-ssron of some Sis, 100000. Apart
t.,Tn tse notorious fact of the extent to
-1S;c5 Whist is known as water entered
irfo these additions to its capital, it nay
Eel he doubted whether the company's
visiting plant represents anything like
inch a valuation. Forming, as it
5oas according to the last report, sys-
tenn of Isl, 900 miles of poles, with
20 600 miles of wire, 5000 offices, trans
hitting over 10000 messages in q
Te,r, and having gross receipts of $l7,-
nm 600. It constitutes g concern Of the
grgatsst magnitude, and, reaching, as it
does. almost every railroad station or
hamlet in the country, as well IS all the
imDortsnt centers of population, its in
fuence is more widespread than any other
The Baltimore and Ohio Telegraph sys-
tan was an outgrowth OF that aggressive
snirit which characterized the manage
meut of the railroad company under the
Gsrretts-isther and son-and which car
ried 10 extremes, has resulted in the
present situation Of that property. De-
Ginning SIS q settled principle to turn over
fbetelegrsph lines of the road to the West
ern Union company, and entertaining, it
would seem, 8 personal antagonism to
the Individual most prominent IN the man
sgement of the latter, the idea OF forming
sn extensive system of telegraph in Oppo-
ston to it, seems to have been q cher
ished idea of the elder Garrett, which his
son and successor carried into effect. The
telegraph lines owned by the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, extending from Balti-
more 10 Chicago, finished the nucleus and
he building Of new lines to important
cities resulted, by 1885, in the formation
Of system which was able to inaugurate
sn elective competition with the Western
U0ion in telegraphy between nearly all
the important Northern centers OF popu-
lgtiOn
At the present time the Baltimore ard
OHIO wires extend from Portland, Me, in
The north TO South Carolina, and reach
their extreme limit in St. Paul in the
northeast sud Texas points in the south
west Approximately it owns or con-
trolls about 1900 miles of lines, including
some 50 600 miles Of wires and about HOO
Offices. Exact reports OF the telegraph
organizations operations have never been
published, sud While the indebted
NESS Of the telegraph to the railroad
company is stated at S3,675, 600, re-
ports Indicate thst the entire sd
TnCes made by the Railroad amount to
perhaps 97O0O,0O0 though this is prob
ably exaggerated. Similarly little is
known Of the results Of It's operations.
TIE statement has been inside that even
:: the low competitive rates it was self
sustaining; but this is open to some
question, and there is little doubt that
tas continued necessity Of extension and
the consequent further advances it IL
TolVld formed a serious element among
ne burdens under which the Baltimore
snd Ohio Railroad property laboIed.
The policy of the Western Union COM
pay throughout the contest has been
shaped with view to such an outcome.
The competition Of the Baltimore and
Olloi as well as that Of the Postal Tele-
graph and other minor competitors, was
net at sL points, although the lowering
0t1ates on business between the largest
cities Of the country, in conjunction with
me cable rate war, which has also been
ID progress for some time past, has Sc
Hou5ly affected the Western Unions rev.
elues, resulting in the abandonment OF
dividends upon its stock for nearly g.
year. To some extent, therefore, this poll
c! may have been effeCtuSl in adding TO the
emoaTrassments Of the Baltimore and Ohio
aad so well was its object understood
.2at from the time it became known that
Mr.. Garrett wss ready to dispose OF the
control of the railroad property little
uouot existed in any quarter ss to the Ill
innate disposition of the telegraph. The
oaFgsn between the Western Union and
le syndicate is not unduly onerous for
.le former, 81 d the agreed price, namely,
s9,UV9,000 Of it's stock in return for the
tAEJsd compauy's control of the Bslti-
more and OHIO Telegraph organization,
cough G tangible increase OF the Western
Oolon's share capital, is no such addition
VI water SIS has been witnessed in former
Consultations.
i Is true that this by no means ends all
present opposition to the Western Union.
n2at IS known as the United Lines Com
!aGy, reorganization OF the Bankers
Sla Merchants Company, has system
s4:endlng 20 many important northern
e!.ies, and with the Postal Telegraph sys-
. ZEN can maintain an spprecieble compe-
Auon. TIE latter concern, indeed, is
SOntrolled BY the same interest which
WINS the Commercial Cable Company,
&c disturbing element in the cable
sIustOn and the cause OF the war
u a esole rates, which has caused losses to
we Western Union quite as seriously as
~ II has suffered on account OF land
sA.es. Thus far efforts TO make terms
WIN the Commercial Cable interest have
zen zen without result, and it remains to be
yer whether the. loss of the cooperation
~ ne Baltimore and Ohio system will be